Playing at home, the Raptors come in as the NBA Lines favorite.

NBA Free Picks Between Toronto At Cleveland

Written by on April 11, 2017

When writing about sports, there is a tendency to lean towards the overdramatic when talking about games and situations. It’s all part of selling the game and making things a little more interesting than they actually are, but there are also times when the drama is actually very real. One such situation is playing out in the NBA Eastern Conference right now, as the Boston Celtics currently have their destiny in their own hands. While they have certainly played well enough to be deserving of the top spot, we simply cannot overlook the train wreck that has been the Cleveland Cavaliers over the last month or so. This looks like a dysfunctional group of players, and while there is still the chance that they will turn it on in the playoffs, the number of people beginning to doubt this team is growing. The Cavaliers will bring their regular season to a close on Wednesday night with a tough game against the Toronto Raptors. They need a win if they are to get back to the #1 seed in the East. Find the upated NBA betting odds here.

Analyzing The NBA Free Picks Between Raptors At Cavaliers



When: Wednesday, April 12 at 8 PM EST Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland TV: FSOHIO, TSN Radio: WTAM 1100 / 87.7 FM (ESP), TSN RADIO 1050 TORONTO Live Stream: Watch NBA NBA Odds: TBA

Why bet on the Toronto Raptors

You always want to finish the regular season on a good run of form, as that usually translates to some level of playoff success. The Toronto Raptors (50-31) are doing just that, having won 3 in a row and 8 of their last 10 games. They are looking to maintain their current #3 seed, which at the moment would land them an opening round series versus the Milwaukee Bucks. The Raptors would also like to exact a little revenge on the Cavaliers to close out the season, especially when you consider that they have lost all 3 previous meetings this season. Toronto is 22-18 on the road this season, but haven’t won in Cleveland since 2014.

Why bet on the Cleveland Cavaliers

What is going on with the Cleveland Cavaliers (51-30). It looked for a moment as though they were going to do just enough to win the Eastern Conference, but a run of 3 straight losses has put that very much in jeopardy. They are a full game back of the Boston Celtics now, and it’s looking more and more as though they are going to need to settle for the #2 seed. This raises the possibility of them potentially needing to give up home court advantage in the Conference Final, assuming they even make it that far. Give that the Cavs are 31-9 at home and a game under .500 on the road, you begin to understand how important home court advantage is to this group.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

While the Cavaliers have won all 3 previous meetings this season, each win has been by 4 points or less. I expect another close one here, and I am going to go with the Raptors to steal one on the road.

Toronto Raptors 105 Cleveland Cavaliers 104